Apple Varieties / Picking Time

The Fruits of Your Labor

Hill Creek Farms began with Jonagold, Cameo and Autumn Rose Fuji apples, all on dwarfing rootstock. These three U-Pick varieties still make up the largest part of our orchard, but we have planted 9 other varieties over the past few years so each year more apples will appear on our market shelves.

We've picked fruit that has different flavor and texture qualities as well as different harvesting months. We enjoy two and a half months of apple pickingevery fall.

Jonagold De Coster
Jonagold apples are bicolored, with an attractive red blush over a yellow background. Our apples, a strain selected by Henry De Coster, a prominent horticulturist from Belgium, is among the most popular in Europe. Our Jonagolds are characterized by excellent dessert and processing qualities, and do not compromise the flavor of the original Jonagold selection.

Cameo
Cameo was discovered by Darrel Caudle as a single, lone tree growing in an orchard full of Red Delicious apples nearly twenty years ago. Today it is one of the most sought-after apple variety. Harvested in October, this lovely apple displays multiple colors and holds its shape well when cooked. This makes it an excellent choice for both pies and sauces. Slow to brown once it has been sliced, Cameo is the ideal compliment to a fruit or fresh green salad. Cameo has a firm texture and a savory sweet-tart snap which is perfect for fresh eating.

Autumn Rose Fuji
The Autumn Rose Fuji is a chance alteration in the standard Fuji that appeared spontaneously on a branch of the standard tree. It grows more reliably than the standard, while having the same outstanding flavor and color qualities. The fruit is large, very firm and colors with a prominent red stripe over a yellow background. Autumn Rose has a sweet and juicy flavor, a crisp texture and is ready to harvest in late October. Fuji will keep through January if kept in cool storage or the refrigerator.

Mutsu
The Mutsu is a cross between Yellow Delicious and Indo. The fruit is firm and juicy with excellent dessert and processing qualities. Tree is very vigorous, a triploid and must be pollinated. Susceptible to blister spot. An excellent variety for roadside markets and the pick-your-own trade.

Enterprise
Developed by Purdue University. This is a late maturing, deep red apple with good keeping qualities. Fruit is uniform - medium to large. Tree is spreading with good annual bearing habits. The Enterprise is immune to apple scab, highly resistant to fire blight and cedar apple rust and moderately resistant to powdery mildew.

Crimson Topaz
A Rubin x Vanda cross, Crimson Topaz is a promising new disease resistant desert apple harvesting one week before Golden Delicious. The fruit is medium in size, crisp and juicy with good flavor. It has a 50% orange-red striping color over a yellow background. The growth habit is spur-like, vigorous and upright. Crimson Topaz is a precious cropper and the fruit does not drop. Resistant to apple scab and moderately resistant to mildew.

Galarina
This mid-late season Gala-like apple was developed in France. Fruit resembles Gala, small to medium in size, red to orange red, with some yellow background color. Flavor is crisp and sweet and will store up to four months in regular cold storage. The apple with hang up to four weeks after expected harvest with very little stem cracking. Tree is vigorous, hardier than Gala and the growth habit is upright-spreading. Galarina shows high tolerance to apple scab, mildew and fire blight.

Honey Crisp
Introduced in 1991, Honey Crisp is creating quite an interest with commercial growers. The well-balanced, sub-acid flavor combined with a crisp, juicy texture make for an enjoyable eating experience. Harvest is generally in late September, about one week after Macintosh. Honey Crisp has an excellent storage life, lasting six to seven months in common storage. Bred specifically for winter hardiness, the tree is moderately vigorous with average fruit precocity.

Ultima Gala
Ultima Gala is a limb mutation of Imperial Gala discovered in Wenatchee, Washington. The fruit has a very high color factor with a strong stripe. Ultima is an abundant annual producer that is also easy to grow. Generally, Galas produce a medium-sized, conical to round fruit, but with early thinning, Ultima can size well. Other fruit characteristics and tree growth are similar to Imperial Gala.

Granny Smith
Granny Smith is a very late-maturing, late-keeping, dual-purpose apple. Flesh is hard, crisp and juicy with excellent tart flavor. Fruit is grass-green and shiny. In cooler climates, the fruit may develop a reddish blush. The tree is vigorous and sets crops early and heavy. Granny Smith is not recommended for areas with short growing seasons.

Red Delicious
Red Delicious is a striped selection of Redchief. The tree and fruit are very similar to Redchief Heinicke, with the exception of earlier coloring and a darker red background color at maturity. The variety was discovered in 1986 in Orondo, Washington. Red Delicious is the one to choose if you are looking for an earlier striped alternative to the already popular Redchief Heinicke.

Stayman
A medium to large red apple with skin that has areas of slight russeting. The Stayman has a juicy off-white flesh that is firm but tender and provides a sweet but slightly tart, wine-like flavor. It is a good apple for pies, sauces or eating raw. This apple keeps well in refrigerated storage. The Stayman apple is a milder offspring of the Winesap apple but is slightly larger and more elongated. Also referred to as a Stayman Winesap.Stayman was created by Dr. J. Stayman when he planted Winesap seeds on his farm in Kansas in 1866.